AirAsia has issued a statement to address the viral photos showing the seats’ armrests taped with yellow tape on an international flight from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur.
For context, one of the flight passengers took to his Facebook to express his embarrassment after seeing the taped armrests. “I felt very embarrassed. Foreigners must be thinking they are going to a very backward country,” he wrote in the caption. The post has since gone viral, garnering over 3.4k shares on social media.
Soon after the issue went viral, the low-cost airline released an official statement regarding the matter. According to Alvin Tan, the head engineer of AirAsia X, the yellow vinyl tape was used amid the shortage of spare parts, which affects its operations. He also clarified that the matter was not “a safety issue”.
“The specific vinyl tape, commonly used as cosmetic cabin repairs, was used as a temporary measure to prevent flight disruptions, as well as to prioritise getting our guests to their destinations safely and timely,” Tan explained. “Spare parts orders placed in August 2022 have arrived last week, and repair work is currently ongoing.”
In the statement, it’s also implied that the other airlines are suffering from spare parts shortages as well.
Source: CNA.
